THE Bulawayo City Council is disputing the census results showing the city having far less than 1 million people, and being the least populated.

Preliminary data released this week said while the national population rose marginally to 12,9 million over the past 10 years, Bulawayo’s count fell from 750 000 to 655 675, or 5 percent of the national population.

But like many Bulawayo residents and activists, city mayor Patrick Thaba Moyo isn’t convinced.

“It is surprising that our population would go down when the cost of providing housing in the city is going up, Moyo told NewsDay. "The last time (2002) it was 750 000 and now it is 655 675.”

“We are worried that we have never had the population of Bulawayo going up considering that Bulawayo is a city where many people across tribes and race prefer to settle in.

“Our census has never reached 1 million (officially), although as Bulawayo, we have always budgeted for 1, 5 million people,” he added.

The census findings may have serious policy implications for the second city, activists say.

Harare was found to be the most populous, accounting for 16 percent with 2, 098 199 people.

Manicaland Province is second with 1, 755 000 or 14 percent. Midlands is third at 13 percent, which translates to 1, 622 476 people.

Masvingo and Mashonaland West are tied at 11 percent, with 1, 486 604 and 1, 449 938 people, respectively.

Mashonaland Central’s population stands at 1, 139 940, or 9 percent.

Matabeleland North has 6 percent or 743 871, while Matabeleland South - the least populated after Bulawayo, has 685 046 people or 5 percent.